396.Gluten Moderated discussion and help for gluten free, coeliac, celiac, wheat allergies or intolerance, Cookery and recipes part 4

Re: Gluten intolerance and Pain: from on 2002-04-16

I think that most pop is OK but avoid barley waters and cloudy lemonade

gluten free 100\% for life: from on 2002-04-19

I have just been diagnosed with Coeliac's disease and am curious to know what it really means to be gluten free 100\% for life. I have read some scary things like you shouldn't use a grill which might have had food with gluten cooked under it for risk of contamination. I am philosophical about the disease. I want to follow a gluten free diet, and thereby put on weight and sort out my anaemia, but if after, say a year of strict adherence, I accidentally eat something with gluten in it what will happen? I guess my stomach may feel a bit uncomfortable (a current problem), but will it completely undo all the good work I've been doing over the past year, or will it just be a minor setback from which my stomach will quickly recover? With all the will in the world, some gluten may slip through the net. Will it make a lot of difference?

Carole

Re: gluten free 100\% for life: from Peter Thomson on 2002-04-21

In the first month after starting a completely gluten free diet it is possible to develop super-sensitivity that can produce a shock reaction. This is not common.
After a longer period on the diet the response to occasional inadvertent gluten can be very slight, or it may produce discomfort, or a wide range of symptoms. However don't assume that because you find you get no symptoms it doesn't matter. You must do your best to keep to the diet for your long term health.

Most of the problems with reacting to gluten result from long term exposure, and the occasional mistake won't undo the good of sticking to the diet.

There is a point that worrying whether there might be contamination is more dangerous than the contamination itself.

Peter

urine test for gluten intolerance: from on 2002-04-22

Are you aware of any such test--if so what literature is there to support it and where can it be done

Testing for Urinary Peptides
Because modification of the diet is far less invasive or harmful than most interventions, it would seem logical to try this method. Many autistic children, however, have such finicky eating habits that the idea of cutting anything they will actually eat out of their dietary repertoire, strikes fear the hearts of their parents. For this reason, some might prefer to test their child's urine for the presence of the urinary peptides found by Reichelt and others. If there are no peptides found, it is unlikely that the diet would help the child. However, if the peptides are present and are escaping from the gut into the bloodstream, it is believed that they can "mimic" neurotransmitters and thus result in the scrambling of sensory input.

There is only one laboratory in the US (that I know of) that is doing this testing. Because it is part of the lab's research, there is no charge for the testing. Directions for the collection and shipment of the specimen can be obtained by calling Dr. Robert Cade at the University of Florida at Gainesville. His assistant, Malcom Privette can be reached at 352-392-8952. Please note: a few parents have told me that Dr. Cade is no longer testing urine; I spoke with his secretary in May, 1997, and testing is still being conducted.

If the test is positive for urinary peptides, you will still not know whether the problem is casein or gluten (or both). Dr. Cade asks that participants also have a blood test done (by another lab and at a cost of $50) which should determine which protein is problematic. Mr. Privette can give you this information too. Blood serum is assayed for IgA and IgG antibodies to the following proteins: gliadin, gluten, lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, casein and ovalbumin

Re: Gluten Free Muesli: from on 2002-05-29

Hi,

Does any one in the uk know where you can Gluten free muesli from the web

Re: Gluten Free Muesli: from on 2002-05-29

Hi,

Does any one in the uk know where you can Gluten free muesli from the web

gluten and clinical depression: from on 2002-07-09

Are there any documented links between gluten and clinical depression or other mental illness? My father has severe major depression. He eats according to the macrobiotic diet, which includes lots of whole grains, and is not gluten-free. A friend told me that eliminating gluten would increase his mental clarity. Is there any truth in this?

Also, I told him that oats, wheat, barley, and rye have gluten in them. What else would have that? When foods say they are gluten free, can we trust that?

Thanks

Re: gluten and clinical depression: from Peter on 2002-07-11

Gluten can have a direct effect on the brain and brain function.
Depression is a common symptom of adverse reaction to gluten.
The worst reaction to gluten can include damage to nerves and progressive blindness.

Where depression is the result of gluten, improvement may take several weeks on a gluten-free diet as the process is one of healing the damage, not just removing the gluten.

Eating a gluten-free diet is safe, provided it is well balanced, but it may hinder proper medical diagnosis.
Such changes should only be made in consultation with a properly qualified doctor of medicine who has specialised in the celiac condition.